The global smart sports equipment market is witnessing robust growth owing to the rising demand for smart devices for tracking the performance of athletes and evaluating various health metrics. Moreover, the rapid implementation of IoT in sports equipment is leading to an increase in the adoption of smart sports equipment.
The rising number of professional athletes globally contributes to the rising demand for smart sports equipment. In 2021, there were over 5,056 professional athletes in the United States, comprising 61.6% men and 38.4% women. Moreover, according to data provided by International Olympic Committee, around 11,000 athletes participated in the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2020.
Sports equipment that is digitally connected to sensors allows athletes to measure, evaluate, and improve their performance. There are many different types of smart sports equipment on the market. These include Internet-of-things (IoT)-enabled smart basketballs, footballs, rackets, golf sticks, helmets, and other sports equipment. This allows users to access innovative features that are not offered by conventional sports equipment. For instance, smart balls let users use their smartphones to detect and track analytics about the ball's flight path, spin, and speed.
The adoption of Technological Advancements in Training Techniques is Propelling the Market's Expansion.
To accurately identify a person with the potential to become a successful elite player in their particular game, sporting organizations are rigorously investing in talent identification programs. Players of national and international caliber frequently go through some human performance evaluation as part of their training program. Owing to the development of smart athletic equipment, coaches are able to figure out the key areas where the athlete is lacking. Additionally, Athletes can now obtain more thorough training due to the availability of smart sports equipment.
Moreover, due to the availability of these products, coaches can gauge how hard a player is working and assist players in expanding their understanding of the methods that will be most advantageous to them. Demand for specialized coaches and scouts is rising in response to the growing popularity of professional sports. The following factors that drive demand for sports coaching are anticipated to boost the global market for smart sports gear.
Integration of Internet-of-Things and Artificial Intelligence in Sports Equipment is Driving the Market Growth
In addition, the sports sector has started implementing IoT to produce smart sporting goods. These tools make it easier for enthusiasts, experts, and armatures to keep track of, monitor, and evaluate their performance. Adidas created smart football with IoT integration for the German national football team. Spin, speed, strike, and flight direction were detected by the IoT sensors in the ball. Additionally, the IoT-based smart ball app aids in monitoring players' performance and allows app users to analyze diagnostics. As a result, the market for smart sports equipment is expanding quickly due to the rapid use of IoT.
Additionally, the advent of artificial intelligence in sports equipment and the rising popularity of different consumer products fuel market growth. The sports equipment equipped with artificial intelligence provides benefits to the users, such as providing advanced personalized training sessions to the athletes and improved identification of the problems where the athletes are lacking behind. These factors are aiding the market growth of smart sports equipment.
Increasing Influence of Brand Sponsorship and Digital Marketing Will Positively Affect the Market Growth
Owing to the rising number of organized and unorganized players in the market, many brands opt for innovative marketing methods to attract a large customer base. With the rising influence of social media among younger fitness enthusiasts, brands are targeting the sports enthusiast through celebrity sponsorship on social media, helping increase their market share. Moreover, with the rising awareness of smart sports equipment through digital marketing among consumers, people have started preferring this equipment to track their health metrics.
Market Segmentation
The smart sports equipment is segmented based on product type, end-user, distribution channel, and region. Based on product type, the market is divided into balls, golf sticks, hockey sticks, rackets, and bats. On the basis of end-user, the market is divided into residential and sports clubs. Based on distribution channels, the market is fragmented into exclusive stores, specialty stores, online, and others, which include direct sales, distributors, etc. The market analysis also studies the regional segmentation to devise regional market segmentation, divided among North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America, and Middle East & Africa.
Company Profiles
Golfsmith International Holdings, Inc., Zepp Labs, Inc., HockeyShot Inc., Gridiron Technologies LLC, Under Armour, Inc., MIZUNO Corporation, BRG Sports Inc, Riddell, Inc., Amer Sports Corporation are among the major market players in the global platform that lead the market growth of the global smart sports equipment market.
Report Scope:
In this report, the global smart sports equipment market has been segmented into the following categories, in addition to the industry trends, which have also been detailed below:
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